Winnetka Village Council
Regular Meeting
510 Green Bay Road
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
7:30 PM
AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS
Consent Agenda
-
Ordinance M-15-2009 -- Designating Authorized Investment Advisors, Money Managers & Banks for Village Funds
Regular Agenda
-
Ordinance M-15-2009 -- 766 Walden Zoning Variation
-
Village Hall Exterior Improvement Recommendations
For a complete agenda packet, click here.
For General Information and Procedural Guidelines for Village Council Meetings, click here.
* * * * * *
Fire Hydrant Flow Testing
The Village is flow-testing fire hydrants all summer through September, on weekdays between 8:30 AM and 4:00 PM.
Flow testing aids in determining the water system capacities, and is used for pre-planning emergencies. Fire hydrants are also checked for visibility and accessibility to in the event of a fire.
Sediment accumulations are removed from the system during flow testing. You may notice water discoloration for a brief period of time after the flow test in your area. While the water is safe to drink, it can discolor laundry. If you experience discoloration of your water, run your sink for approximately twenty minutes or until the discoloration subsides.
If the water does not become clear after following the procedures described above, please contact the Water Department at (847) 716-3558.
* * * * * * * *
Census 2010
In April 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau will conduct its survey to find out just how many Americans there really are. Getting an accurate count of our residents is important to Winnetka. Census data are used to distribute Congressional seats to states, to make decisions about what community services to provide, and to distribute federal funds to state and local governments each year.
For the upcoming census, the form is going to be much shorter and much less intrusive than in 2000. There will only be 10 questions on the form that you’ll be asked to fill out. The information is confidential.
All Winnetkans are encouraged to complete this important survey when it arrives!
* * * * * * * *
Computer Recycling From Home
The Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) is offering the At-Home Pickup Program, as a convenient way for residents to recycle their e-waste.
Any Winnetka resident with front-door access (no apartments or condos) can arrange for a pickup by paying $25 with a credit card, and placing up to six items on the front porch by 7:30 AM on the scheduled day. No individual item may weigh more than 50 pounds. Cell phones and calculators are accepted, but won’t count towards the six-item limit.
The program will be offered through October, 2009. To see a list of acceptable items, or to schedule a pickup, click here.
* * * * * * *
Winnetka Police Department Does Not
Engage in Phone Solicitation
Solicitors representing themselves as members of the Winnetka Police or Fire Department, or any other Village department, are giving false information. Village policy strictly prohibits Winnetka public employees from taking part in any type of solicitation in connection with their employment with the Village. In most cases, individuals claiming that they are soliciting for Village departments are actually employed by labor unions.
Here are some questions you should ask the solicitor any time that you are approached for a donation that is supposed to benefit a Village department: 1) What is the exact name and address of your organization? 2) What is your name? What is your connection to the Village of Winnetka ? 3) What percentage of my contribution will be used for the Winnetka Police (or Fire) Department? 4) Are you a paid solicitor?
Aggressive solicitors should be reported to the Winnetka Police Department, at 847-501-6034. For more information, click here to visit the Winnetka Police Department's website.
* * * * * *
Recycle Used CFLs at Village Yards
Winnetka is participating in a program sponsored by the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) to recycle residentially-generated Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs). You may drop off your used CFL’s at the Public Works Building, 1390 Willow Road, between the hours of 7 AM – 3 PM, Monday through Friday. No commercial or institutional waste will be accepted, and the program is restricted Winnetka residents only.
* * * * * *
Small Electronics Recycling
The Village of Winnetka is working with Recycling Avenue to collect used cell phones, digital cameras, DVD’s, game consoles, ink cartridges, and laptop computers for recycling through an accredited recycling company. Many of these items contain compounds or materials that can be harmful to the environment if they are not properly disposed of.
You can bring your used small electronics to Village Hall during normal business hours (8:30am to 5:00pm M-F, 8:30am to Noon Saturday). Donations are tax deductible. Large items such as printers, monitors, toner cartridges, desktop computers, TV's, VCR's or stereos will not be accepted.
Recycling Avenue has partnered with Avenues to Independence in Wheeling, and is run by and for persons who are physically and developmentally challenged. Learn more about Avenues to Independence recycling activities by clicking the following link: http://www.avenuesonline.org/recycling.html
* * * * * *
Emergency Notification via Telephone
The
Winnetka Police and Fire Departments have contracted with CodeRed,
a rapid response telephone network that allows the Village to quickly
notify the phone numbers of any Winnetkan in case of emergency, such as the August 23, 2007, storm. This
service relies on a database of phone numbers, but not all phone numbers are listed. For example, most cell phone numbers are not in the database. To make sure that your landline and cell phone numbers are included for
Village emergency calls, please click on the following link, enter your address, and add any
telephone number you wish to include in the database:
https://login.coderedweb.com/codereddata
entry/index.cfm?GroupId=1196
All
telephone numbers submitted will be used for emergency
purposes only and not divulged to any other party for any
reason. The CodeRed system will be used for emergency notification of
events like missing children, environmental spills, major storms, or boil orders. For
more information please call the Police Department at 847-501-6034 or see http://www.coderedweb.com.
|
|
Village Council Urges Pension Reform
At its May 19th meeting, the Winnetka Village Council unanimously adopted Resolution No. R-25-2009 "urging the General Assembly to stop enacting pension enhancements, to protect police and fire pensions, and to adopt meaningful pension reform." To view webcast of May 19th meeting, click here.
To read the Council's resolution, click here.
To read the Village President's comments in the Winnetka Talk, click here.
* * * * * * *
Police Department Warns
Against Garage Burglary
There have been several detached garage burglaries in the Winnetka area recently. The Police Department reminds residents to make sure both the overhead and side doors are locked securely. Don't leave valuables in your car, and report any suspicious activity by calling 501-6034 immediately. For more information, click here.
* * * * * * *
Swine Flu Update
Swine flu virus is a respiratory disease with symptoms similar to regular flu, including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue and possibly diarrhea and vomiting. If you have flu-like symptoms (e.g. fever over 100 degrees with nasal congestion, sore throat and/or cough), call your primary care provider.
For current, accurate information about the world-wide upsurgence of swine flu, please click the links below:
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
Dept of Homeland Security
Cook County Public Health
* * * * *
Village Introduces New Interactive Mapping
The Village of Winnetka is proud to introduce a new internet mapping service now available on the Village's website. This service allows residents and visitors to search for addresses within the Village and acquire municipal information regarding that property including school districts, recycling day pickup, voting locations, etc. Also available through this service is aerial photography of the Village, as well as links to Google Maps Street View and Microsoft Live mapping.
The Village mapping service can be accessed in the Quick Links section under 'Interactive GIS Map,' or by clicking here.
Streetscape Committee
To review the Revised Streetscape Report, click below.
Executive Summary
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Priority 1 Plans
Priority 2 Plans
Section 4
Section 5
Appendix A
To review the Implementation Plan, click here
* * * * * * *
Web Site HIGHLIGHTS
Voluntary Residential Design Guidelines
for New Residential Construction
The Village is in the process of developing a Voluntary Residential Design Handbook project for established neighborhoods, with the goal of maintaining the design character and quality of these neighborhoods. The design handbook will address appropriate building design practices within the Village, establish a consistent approach for new construction, and provide custom-tailored guidance for specific neighborhood contexts. Use of the design handbook is strictly voluntary.
In the first of two recent community workshops, residents were asked to help identify both existing assets of, and threats to, community character and architectural design. Workshop participants were also asked to provide additional comments and concerns related to the design handbook, or housing in the Village in general. To see a summary of the two April workshops, click here.
* * * * *
Historic & Residential Preservation Update
The Winnetka Ad Hoc Historic & Residential Preservation Committee held two Community Input Meetings on April 12th and 16th to gather public feedback on the Committee’s preliminary findings and recommendations regarding historic preservation, the impact of demolitions, and the protection of Village character. To view these meetings, click here.
To view supplemental information providing the history of the Committee, click here.
A number of questions were asked by the public at the Community Input Meetings. The Committee informed the public the answers to the questions would be posted on the Village website. Since April the Committee has been meeting to respond to the questions as best they can. The Committee’s responses will be posted in two separate attachments. Please click here to view the first round of answers. To view the second installment of answers click here.
To view the Committee’s Working Draft Summary Outline #12 of Preliminary Findings and Recommendations, click here -- to see changes from the previous outline, click here.
* * * * * * *
New Sales Tax Rate
The current sales tax rate in the Village of Winnetka is 9.00% effective 7/1/2008 due to an increase in the Cook County portion of the sales tax rate. The Village’s 1.00% local sales tax rate is included in the 9.00%. (Click here.)
* * * * *
Emerald Ash Borer Update
The Village of Winnetka is continuing to find more Ash trees infested with the Emerald Ash Borer within all areas of the Village boundaries. The Village has been removing potentially infested or poor quality Village Ash trees and is treating good quality Ash trees with insecticide.
Homeowners are encouraged to monitor their own Ash trees and be on the lookout for signs of possible infestation (see below). Also, homeowners may want to consider treating healthy Ash trees with insecticide labeled for control of EAB. There are several products that are available for professional or home use. The best time to treat is April-June.
Due to quarantine restrictions, Ash tree removals cannot be done between April 30th and September 1st. Anyone performing removals or other work on Ash trees in the Village must be an Illinois Department of Agriculture EAB Compliant Contractor and must obey all quarantine constraints.
Please contact the Forestry Department with any questions or concerns at 847-716-3568. For more information click here.
|
